The Major

Program Plan Worksheets

PDF icon concentration_a_program_plan_worksheet.pdf
PDF icon concentration_b_program_plan_worksheet.pdf
PDF icon concentration_c_program_plan_worksheet.pdf
PDF icon concentration_d_program_plan_worksheet.pdf

Declaring the Major

Declaring a single major

To declare a major in Spanish & Portuguese, students must have completed the lower division prerequisites and one upper division class for the major. Schedule an appointment with the Undergraduate Major Advisor to review your academic plan and to declare the major. Students can declare a major in the Fall, Spring, and Summer. 

Declaring a double major or simultaneous degree

To declare a double major or simultaneous degree in Spanish & Portuguese, review the College of Letters & Sciences policies. Complete the Double Major or Simultaneous Degree Petition and return to the Undergraduate Major Advisor for review and processing.

Still have Questions?

Contact the Undergraduate Major Advisor

Overview

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish & Portuguese choose a concentration based on general area of interest. Listed below are the prerequisites and requirements for each of the four concentrations. Please meet with the Undergraduate Advisor if you are unsure about which concentration is the right fit for you. All courses within the major must be taken for a letter grade, and a major GPA of 2.0 must be maintained.

Concentration A: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World

This option is recommended for students interested in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Hispanic World on both sides of the Atlantic, and/or a career in K-12 foreign language teaching, as well as for future graduate students in Hispanic studies. Spanish is required for this option, and Portuguese and Catalan are optional.

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Prerequisites

Spanish Language Requirement | Students must complete the 4th semester of college level Spanish through one of the following options:

Spanish 25 | Reading and Analysis of Literary Texts in Spanish. This class is a prerequisite for upper division coursework in Spanish Literature & Culture. It is offered in person every semester (Fall / Spring), synchronously online during summer session D, and as part of our summer abroad program in Puebla, Mexico.

Core Requirements

The core requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley. The survey classes can be completed in any order, students are also encouraged to explore both sides of the Atlantic by mixing and matching classes from the 104 and 107 series. 

  • Spanish 102A: Advanced Grammar and Composition
  • Survey - Early Period | Choose one of the following classes:
    • Spanish 104A: Survey of Spanish American Literature (15th - 19th Centuries) | Fall only
    • Spanish 107A: Survey of Spanish Literature (10th - 17th century) | Spring only
  • Survey - Late Period | Choose one of the following classes:
    • Spanish 104B: Survey of Spanish American Literature (1880 - Present) | Spring only
    • Spanish 107B: Survey of Spanish Literature (19th century - Present) | Fall only

Electives

Students must complete five upper division elective classes. Up to three may be taken abroad.

Concentration Specific Electives | A minimum of two electives must be related to your concentration (Literature & Culture):

  • Spanish 104A / B (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 107A / B (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 111A / B: Cervantes
  • Spanish 115: Spanish Poetry
  • Spanish 123: Mexican History, Language, Culture
  • Spanish 131: The Spanish American Short Story
  • Spanish 135: Studies in Hispanic Literature
    • This is a special topics course
    • Repeatable for credit as long as the topic changes

Non-concentration Specific Electives | To promote connections across concentrations, up to three electives may be non-concenctration specific. Any upper division class in Spanish language, Spanish / Spanish American Literature & Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, Portuguese, Catalan can count for major credit! Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions.

  • NOTE: Spanish 100 is strongly recommended

Concentration B: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Portuguese-Speaking World

This track is recommended for students interested in the language, literature, and culture of the Portuguese-speaking world, and may include up to two upper division electives in Spanish. Portuguese is required for this option, and Spanish is optional.

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Prerequisites

Portuguese Language Requirement | Students must complete the 2nd semester of college level Portuguese through one of the following options:

  • Portuguese 50: Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
    • Students should have intermediate knowledge of Spanish (or another romance language) in order to take this class.
    • Designed to leverage your knowledge of Spanish (or another Romance language) to cover two semesters of college level Portuguese in one semester.
  • Transfer equivalents (see assist.org)

Core Requirements

  • Portuguese 102: Conversations in Portuguese | Fall and Spring
  • Portuguese 103: Writings in Portuguese | Fall and Spring
  • Portuguese 104: Brazil in the World | Fall only

Electives

Students must complete five upper division electives. Up to three can be taken abroad.

Concentration Specific Electives | A minimum of three classes on Portuguese/Brazilian topics:

  • Portuguese 113: Brazilian Culture through and Across the Arts and Media
  • Portuguese 115: the Brazilian Lyric
  • Portuguese 128: Modern and Contemporary Brazilian Literature
  • Portuguese 135: Studies in Luso-Brazilian Literature
    • This is a special topics class.
    • Repeatable for credit as long as the topic changes

Non-concentration Specific Electives | To promote connections across concentrations, up to two electives may be non-concenctration specific. Any upper division class in Spanish language, Spanish / Spanish American Literature & Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, Portuguese, Catalan can count for major credit! Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions.

Concentration C: Latin American Languages, Literatures & Cultures

This track is recommended for students interested in the languages, literatures, and cultures of both Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Latin America, and/or a career in K-12 foreign language teaching, as well as for future graduate students in Spanish and Portuguese studies. It requires coursework in both Spanish and Portuguese, which makes possible comparative approaches to the culture, literature, and history of the region.

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Prerequisites

Spanish Language Requirement | Students must complete the 4th semester of college level Spanish through one of the following options:

Portuguese Language Requirement | Students must complete the 2nd semester of college level Portuguese through one of the following options:

  • Portuguese 50: Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
    • Students should have intermediate knowledge of Spanish (or another romance language) in order to take this class.
    • Designed to leverage your knowledge of Spanish (or another Romance language) to cover two semesters of college level Portuguese in one semester.
  • Transfer equivalents (see assist.org)

Spanish 25: Reading and Analysis of Literary Texts in Spanish | This class is a prerequisite for Upper Division Coursework in Spanish Literature & Culture. It is offered in person every semester (Fall / Spring), synchronously online during summer session D, and as part of our summer abroad program in Puebla, Mexico.

Core Requirements

  • Portuguese 103: Writings in Portuguese | Fall and Spring
  • Spanish 102A: Advanced Grammar and Composition | Fall and Spring
  • Survey of Spanish American Literature | Choose one of the following:
    • Spanish 104A: Survey of Spanish American Literature (15th - 19th Centuries) | Fall only
    • Spanish 104B: Survey of Spanish American Literature (1880 - Present) | Spring only
  • Brazilian Literature | Coose one of the following:
    • Portuguese 104: Brazil in the World | Fall only
    • Portuguese 128: Modern and Contemporary Brazilian Literature | Spring only

Electives

Students must complete four upper division electives. Up to three can be taken abroad.

Concentration Specific Electives | A minimum of two classes related to your concentration (Spanish American and Brazilian Literature and Culture). [RECOMMENDED] Students should take one class on Spanish American Literature & Culture and one class on Brazilian Literature & Culture:

  • Portuguese 113: Brazilian Culture through and Across the Arts and Media
  • Portuguese 115: the Brazilian Lyric
  • Portuguese 128: Modern and Contemporary Brazilian Literature
  • Portuguese 135: Studies in Luso-Brazilian Literature
    • This is a special topics class.
    • Repeatable for credit as long as the topic changes
  • Spanish 104A / B (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 107A / B (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 111A / B: Cervantes
  • Spanish 115: Spanish Poetry
  • Spanish 123: Mexican History, Language, Culture
  • Spanish 131: The Spanish American Short Story
  • Spanish 135: Studies in Hispanic Literature
    • This is a special topics course
    • Repeatable for credit as long as the topic changes

Non-Concentration Specific Electives | To promote connections across concentrations, up to two electives may be non-concenctration specific. Any upper division class in Spanish language, Spanish / Spanish American Literature & Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, Portuguese, Catalan can count for major credit! Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions.

Concentration D: Hispanic Languages, Linguistics & Bilingualism

This track is recommended for students interested in the linguistic structure of Spanish and/or Portuguese/Catalan, bilingualism in society, and/or the relationship between cognition, society, and language, as well as for future graduate students in (Hispanic) Linguistics. This track specifically aims to prepare students for careers requiring in-depth expertise in linguistic analysis, language production, and language perception, including K-12 Spanish language teaching, translation, speech language pathology, as well as cutting-edge industry positions involving natural language processing, generative AI, large language models, digital voice assistants, and related computation-/annotation-based language modeling. Spanish is required for this option, and Portuguese and Catalan are optional.

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Prerequisites

Spanish Language Requirement | Students must complete the 4th semester of college level Spanish through one of the following options:

Spanish 25: Reading and Analysis of Literary Texts in Spanish |Spanish 25 is not a prerequisite for Spanish 100, but it must be completed in order to declare the major. We recommend students take it as early as possible. It is offered in person every semester (Fall / Spring), synchronously online during summer session D, and as part of our summer abroad program in Puebla, Mexico.

Core Requirements

The core requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.

  • Spanish 100: Intro to Hispanic Linguistics
    • Students must complete this upper division course before enrolling in additional 160- or 170- level Hispanic Linguistics coursework.
    • NOTE: Spanish 25 is not a prerequiste for enrollment in Spanish 100. Students who have completed the Spanish Language Requirement through one of the options listed above are eligible for Spanish 100.
  • Linguistic Structure | Choose one of the following:
    • Spanish 161: Spanish Phonetics and Phonology
    • Spanish 162: Spanish Morphology and Syntax
  • Society and Cognition | Choose one of the following:
    • Spanish 163: Sociolinguistic and Psycholinguistic Approaches to Spanish Bilingualism
    • Spanish 164: Spanish Dialectology and Sociolinguistic Variation

Electives

Students must complete five upper division elective classes. Up to three may be taken abroad.

Concentration Specific Electives | A minimum of two electives must be related to your concentration (Hispanic Linguistics):

  • Spanish 101: Spanish Pronunciation and Accents in Native and Non-Native Speakers
    • Spanish 100 is not a prerequisite for Spanish 101.
  • Spanish 161: Spanish Phonetics and Phonology (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 162: Spanish Morphology and Syntax (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 163: Sociolinguistic and Psycholinguistic Approaches to Spanish Bilingualism (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 164: Spanish Dialectology and Sociolinguistic Variation (if not taken for core requirements)
  • Spanish 165: Spanish in the U.S. and in Contact with Other Languages
  • Spanish 179: Topics in Hispanic Linguistics
    • This is a special topics course
    • Repeatable for credit as long as the topic changes

Non-concentration Specific Electives | To promote connections across concentrations, up to three electives may be non-concenctration specific. Any upper division class in Spanish language, Spanish / Spanish American Literature & Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, Portuguese, Catalan can count for major credit! Consult the Undergraduate Advisor if you have questions.